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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Baldpate Mountain (West Peak), Baldpate Mountain (East Peak), ME
Trails
Trails: Appalachian Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Friday, February 22, 2013
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: parking in grafton notch is well plowed. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Unpacked Powder, Ice - Blue, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: some small brook crossings were open, but most were buried.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: removed a couple nuisance blowdowns. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: the trail started with 2-4 inches of new/blown snow over a firm base. after the table rock junction the trail was less travelled with one set of previous ski tracks cutting through the existing trough. as the trail crossed a shoulder and headed towards the shelter depths increased probably 6-8 with the trough often filled in. markings through the open woods here were a bit sparse, but a moose knew the route and i followed its tracks through some of the more blown in and vague areas. once at the tentsite the ski tracks were gone for good, but the old trough was evident with 8-12 inches of snow becoming more the norm. higher up on west baldpate there was a fair amount of deep drifting filling in the trail. not always easy to follow the trail though every time i though i had lost it i ended up finding a blaze confirming i had not. a couple sections had ice bulges under the snow to watch out for. from west baldpate down to the col there was a mix of deep drifts, including the largest one i have seen this season, ice and bare rock. this trend continued through the saddle with more open rock and ice, but some deep drifts as well. as soon as i hit the ledges on east baldpate it all changed. the ledges were mostly clear with patchy snow and very little ice up to the summit plateau. a couple minor drifts and ice patches from there to the summit. the snow became quite wet and sticky by afternoon. a number of other hikers had used the section of trail to table rock over the course of the day and it was pretty well packed when i came back through. i wore snowshoes the whole hike except for the ledges on east baldpate where i switched over to microspikes. carried crampons and an axe just in case they were as icy as i had heard they were a few weeks back, but they just came for the ride. i would still at least carry crampons in case conditions change. i had not been on baldpate for a number of years and was happy to get such a beautiful day for a winter trip. clouds did hold on in this part of the mountains longer than in other areas, but by the time i got up there they had mostly cleared out though views to the east and north were limited. some nice looks to the northern peaks of nh and to the nearby cloud capped summit  
Name
Name: bryan 
E-Mail
E-Mail: bryancuddihee@yahoo.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2013-02-22 
Link
Link: https:// 
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